The present invention relates generally to dumping bins for vehicles and more particularly relates to power-actuated dumping bins for pickup trucks.
Frequently, the owner of a pickup truck or other similar vehicle having a cargo bed wishes to load and transport a load of material for subsequent dumping at a remote location. Loose material such as dirt, sand, gravel and the like which has been loaded into the bed of the pickup truck must ordinarily be manually unloaded such as, for example, by the use of shovels. Such a manual unloading of loose material from a bed of a pickup truck is even more troublesome if the bed of the pickup truck has been provided with a roof or top such as is commercially available for a wide variety of pickup trucks.
Various arrangements are known in the art for providing an auxiliary dumping device for a vehicle such as a pickup truck. Each of the known devices, however, is undesirable for one or more reasons such as its undue complexity, expense or manner of operation.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,630,571 of Saldana which issued on Dec. 28, 1971, an auxiliary dumping apparatus for a vehicle is disclosed. A chamber-defining container structure is slidably mounted on a container mounting and supporting frame which is received within the bed of the truck. The container structure is positioned in an extreme forward position for transport and may be moved to an extreme rearward preload-dumping position in which a substantial portion of the container structure extends beyond the rear end of the frame of the vehicle. In one embodiment of the Saldana device, a hydraulic cylinder is provided for assisting the dump actuation of the container structure. The Saldana device, however, is relatively complex and expensive since a relatively large hydraulic cylinder is connected to both the vehicle and to the container.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,915,496, of Mabry which issued on Oct. 28, 1975, a dumping mechanism for a vehicle is disclosed including a moveable body which is provided with a manually operated jack mechanism for selectively tilting the body. The Mabry device, however, is relatively cumbersome and inconvenient for use especially if the bed of the pickup truck is provided with a top or roof.
Yet still another dumping device for a pickup truck is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,851 of Duncan which issued on Apr. 18, 1978. The Duncan arrangement is again relatively complex and expensive in its configuration.
Accordingly, the need still remains for a relatively inexpensive and uncomplicated dumping bin for a pickup truck which is power assisted so as to facilitate a dumping operation.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a dumping bin for a pickup truck which is pneumatically powered.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a dumping bin for a pickup truck which is relatively inexpensive and uncomplicated in operation.
Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide a dumping bin which is suitable for use in the cargo bed of a pickup truck which has been provided with a roof or top.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a dumping bin for a pickup truck which requires a minimum of modification to the bed and structure of the pickup truck while still providing a safe and reliable powered operation of the dumping bin.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by a pneumatically actuated dumping bin for a cargo bed of a vehicle according to the present invention. The dumping bin includes a floor portion, a left side wall portion, a right side wall portion and a rear wall portion with the bin being adapted to be received within the cargo bed of the vehicle for selective movement between a first travel position and a second dumping position. A pneumatic piston and cylinder is provided with the cylinder being pivotably connected to the bin adjacent the rear wall portion of the bin and with the cylinder being substantially vertical when the bin is horizontal. Compressed air is provided for selectively actuating the pneumatic piston and cylinder to raise the bin at the rear wall portion when the bin is in the second dumping position. A plurality of wheels are mounted on the underside of the bin to facilitate the selective movement of the bin between the first travel position and the second dumping position.